Saying Hello - Mandarin Chinese Greetings
Nǐ Hǎo - 你好 - Hello
nǐ hǎo - Saying "Hello" in Mandarin Chinese Learn how to greet people in Mandarin Chinese.
The literal translation of nǐ hǎo - 你好 is "you good". Nǐ - 你 means "you" and hǎo - 好 means "good".
Nǐ - 你 is the informal form of "you" and is used for greeting friends and associates. The formal form of "hello" is ?nín hǎo - 您好. Notice that the formal "you" is nín - 您.
Use nín hǎo - 您好 when speaking to:
- Superiors
- People in authority
- Elders
Use nǐ hǎo - 你好 when speaking to:
- Friends
- Colleagues
- Children
How Are You?
You can extend nǐ hǎo - 你好 by adding the question particle ?ma - 吗. The question particle ma can be added to the end of sentences and phrases to change them from statements to questions.
The literal translation of nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好吗? is "you good?" which means "how are you?"
Nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好吗? should only be said to close friends or family members. It is not a common greeting for associates or strangers.
The answer to nǐ hǎo ma? - 你好吗? can be:
hěn hǎo - 很好 - very good bù hǎo - 不好 - not good hái hǎo - 还好 - so so
Learning Mandarin Chinese
- Chinese Names
- Mandarin Phrases
- What is Mandarin Chinese?
Understanding Mandarin Chinese
- The Mandarin Dialects of China
- Talking About the Weather in Mandarin Chinese
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning Mandarin Chinese
Suggested Reading
- Computer Input, Handwriting & Calligraphy
- Situational Mandarin Chinese Lessons
- Resources for Learning to Speak and Read Mandarin Chinese
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